


Fall From the Sky

by jill_ian



Category: Wicked - All Media Types, Wicked - Schwartz/Holzman
Genre: Angst, F/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 09:40:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13268763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jill_ian/pseuds/jill_ian
Summary: One moment her hands were in his and the next he was completely alone. Fiyero could still feel the warmth from her on his fingertips, now empty.





	Fall From the Sky

One moment her hands were in his and the next he was completely alone. Fiyero could still feel the warmth from her on his fingertips, now empty.

Around him it was quiet, though his words were still hanging in the air. The echo of, “We are going to be together always. You can see houses flying through the sky. Can’t you see _that_?” ringing in his ears.

As quickly as she had finally found herself in his arms, she managed to be out of them. And the moment she was an arms length away, she was out of sight, as well.

He was confused and hurt and somehow full of something he had been longing for but couldn’t put a name to all at once.

He was overwhelmed with a thousand emotions as he stumbled backwards, holding his lantern up and looking towards the sky in an attempt to see her. There was nothing, just the cold, black night sky. It was empty, almost like it was mocking him.

This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. He wasn’t supposed to be alone. She wasn’t supposed to leave him anymore. She was done doing that. They were supposed to go. Run away. Start over. Be together.

He had been searching for her for what felt like a lifetime after she disappeared from the Emerald City. When he heard she disappeared and then all of those horrid rumors began to surface, he knew nothing would be okay until she was at his side.

His careless life was given purpose when he joined the Gale Force. He was going to find her and make her safe, shield her from the world and the horrible things they were accusing her of. He knew they were all lies, but it didn’t make them any easier to stomach.

He was furious when he heard the way that they spoke of her. Rumors of things like extra eyes, shedding skin, seeking shelter with animals, melting with water became the craze. It was almost like everyone was competing with each other to come up with the most ridiculous stories, but somehow they managed to catch on. Everyone believed them. They believed her to be _wicked_.

The word made his skin crawl.

He thought of moments like the Ozdust, when she danced alone in front of all of those people, which at the time made his chest ache with something like jealousy. He thought of her friendship with Dr. Dillamond and the rage that rolled off her in waves when he announced he would be leaving. He thought of how they saved the lion cub together. He thought of the sparkle and the excitement in her eyes when she left for the Emerald City and he brought her flowers.

And then she was gone.

Thick-headed? Strong-willed? Independent? Fearless? Yes, he would say, those were all words to describe her.

But _wicked_? No.

And now as he stumbled backwards, confused and alone and hopelessly in love, he felt helpless. He had never seen Elphaba scared before, usually so confident and sure of herself. There was something wrong with her sister and there wasn’t a single thing he could do to help or to calm her worry, especially being that she had gone on her own before he could barely get a few words in.

His stomach knotted at the thought of her going alone. He had to find her. She couldn’t face what was out there alone, not when it was so dangerous. Not when so many people were after her. Not when they finally had each other. He was kicking himself for the way he let her run off, wishing he had protested to go with her just a little harder.

He began to walk in the direction he saw her disappear off into, hoping that maybe she didn’t make it too far already. Maybe he would be able to catch up to her. Maybe he could stop her from doing something dangerous or reckless before it was too late.

As he walked further, his mind began to wander. He wondered what the flying house meant and what it could possibly have to do with Nessa. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious he became that something bad was happening to Nessa so close to Elphaba finally showing herself publicly.

The timing of it all seemed a little convenient, when suddenly it clicked:

_It was a trap._

The lantern slipped out of his hand and shattered on the ground, glass splintering into a hundred pieces as he broke out into a run.

Trees whizzed by and the cold air cut at his cheeks, but he paid it no mind. He was wholly focused on finding her, as he had been for so long now.

He spotted the house before he saw them. In the distance, he noticed the house that was entirely out of place and thought to himself that it must have been the flying house Elphaba had seen.

He saw them as he drew closer. Glinda and Elphaba. It was only the two of them and could tell they were arguing. He knew too much of their individual pain to blame either of them for it. He watched Glinda suffer before his eyes, hiding his own grief deep down, all the while knowing Elphaba was suffering just as badly.

He watched them from afar, assessing the situation and trying to determine the opportune moment to reveal himself. Or maybe he would wait and find Elphaba after the argument was over. They deserved to speak their minds. For now, he would let it play out and remain hidden.

He put his jacket on and for no other reason than paranoia, held his gun firmly in his hands. There was no sign of anyone other than Glinda or Elphaba anywhere, but he didn’t trust any of it. He was Captain of the Guard after all. He of all people knew how they were capable of anything. He knew Glinda would never do anything to Elphaba. She didn’t genuinely hate her, she only hated the way she left. She would never do anything to hurt her.

But it wasn’t Glinda he was afraid of. It was everyone else. Anyone else.

It was all fairly benign when suddenly the Gale Force jumped out and grabbed her.

He felt his blood turn to ice in his veins.

He jumped in, gun in hand, without a hint of hesistation.

“Let the green girl go,” he said forcefully. He knew these men and doubted they would listen. He wasn’t their Captain anymore and Elphaba was a wanted woman. He had to think fast. He began to turn on his heel as he said, “I said let her go or explain to all of Oz how the Wizard's Guards looked on while Glinda the Good was slain.”

The words fell from his lips before he could process them and he found himself pointing his gun at her. He made the mistake of looking in Glinda’s eyes, which were wide with fear, and noticed the way her jaw dropped in shock. Guilt gnawed momentarily at his heart, but he pushed it down.

Glinda let out a small, “Fiyero, no,” but she had no control over him anymore. He stood firm.

“I said let her go,” he repeated, unwavering.

To his surprise, they did. Without thinking, he walked over to her broom and threw it to her, wanting her to be as far away from all of this as she could as quickly as she could. “Elphaba go,” he insisted. “Now.”

On one side of him Elphaba approached him and protested, “No, not without you,” and on the other side Glinda said his name, but he wasn’t letting them change his mind.

“Now,” he said. She didn’t move. “Go!” He yelled, desperation now beginning to take hold. If she didn’t leave now, she may never have the chance to get away.

It wasn’t until Glinda out a, “Do it,” did she move, finally running away and moving quickly out of sight.

She was good at running away.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Guards make a move to follow her, but he quickly turned to face them, aiming his rifle in their direction. They stopped dead in their tracks. He then turned back to Glinda, but the second his back was turned to them, he could felt them approaching him. He faltered.

He hadn’t thought this far ahead. He didn’t have a next step. It suddenly struck him how reckless he had been. He was in too far deep. He wasn’t getting out of this.

As the realization hit him, he felt the strength leave his arms. The second that his rifle was no longer aimed at anyone, he heard a strong, “Seize him!” and then was being grabbed.

The gun fell from his hands as they forced him onto the ground on his knees.

As this was happening he heard Glinda let out a frantic, “What are you doing? Stop it! In the name of Goodness, stop!”

They were holding at his arms and another hand was on the back of his neck, forcing him to look at the ground. He imagined what Glinda looked like, undeniably worried but attempting to use her authority to save him. She had no reason to help him, especially after the way he hurt her, but here she was doing just that. Glinda the Good rang true in his mind.

“Don’t you see?” He heard her say. “He wasn’t going to harm me.” He could hear how hard she was trying to sound commanding, but the way her voice was shaking gave away how scared she was.

The hand on the back of his neck softened and he was able to look up at her, seeing in the pain in her eyes as she said, “He…he just loves her.”

He couldn’t help the way his next few words fell from his lips. “Glinda, I’m so sorry.”

He wasn’t sure whether or not she’d answer, whether or not she’d accept his apology, but not a second after he spoke, he heard a voice from behind him saying, “Take him out to that field there!” Glinda fought, but the voice persisted. “Put him up on those poles until he tells us where the witch went!”

The last words he heard from Glinda were, “Please don’t hurt him!” as they dragged him away.

He knew they wouldn’t listen.

When they were far enough away and deep into the field, it began. They put him up on the poles using another at his shoulders, tied there at the arms to keep it in place. His legs were just long enough to have his feet reach the ground. If he were any shorter, his legs would have been left to dangle in the air.

He was standing tall, arms bound, when he realized he was going to die here. The Guard would never stop until he told them where Elphaba was. It was in this moment that he knew he would rather die than put her in harm’s way. He would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

“Where is she?” One of them yelled. The voice sounded familiar and it was more than likely that he knew who it was from his own time on the Guard, but he was unable to identify who was speaking. Even as the man came forward, he couldn’t put a name to the face.

“Where is who?” He asked.

“Don’t play dumb,” the same guard spat as someone else punched him in the stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs. “Tell us where she is.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Another swift punch went right to his stomach.

“The Wicked Witch. Tell us where she is.”

“I don’t know any Wicked Witch,” he replied, trying his best not to show any signs of pain, but this time the punch landed on his jaw and he saw stars behind his eyes.

“ _The green girl_ ,” the guard echoed, “You know where she’s going.”

“No I don’t.”

“Stop lying,” which was followed by another punch to the jaw.

“I’m not lying.” His face began to ache, making the words physically painful to speak.

“Yes you are.”

“Why would I know where she is?” he challenged, knowing fully well that it probably wasn’t the best time for an attitude, but he couldn’t help himself.

“You told her to go. You must know where to.”

He shook his head and looked down at the ground, muttering, “That’s preposterous,” under his breath. Someone grabbed his hair, forcing him to look up, the sudden pain causing him to gasp.

“You’re going to tell us where she is,” the guard repeated, ignoring him.

“Want to bet?” he asked defiantly.

And if he thought what they did before could be considered cruel, it had nothing on what came next.

The long silence was thick and the longer it lasted, the more anxious he became. It meant they were thinking, thinking of ways to break him.

“Is it true?” the guard finally asked, cutting through the silence.

He furrowed his brow. “Is what true?”

“What Glinda the Good said.”

“She said lots of things, you’ll have to remind me.” He expected the punch that came next, striking at his side. What he didn’t expect was the snap he heard inside him at the contact and he couldn’t bite down the groan that clawed its way out.

“Do you love her? That _creature_?”

“She isn’t a _creature_.” He could feel the anger rising almost instantly, nearly masking the pain. “She’s a human being.”

“Where is her extra eye?” A new voice chimed in.

“How does she avoid touching water?” A third voice asked.

“Human beings don’t shed their skin,” said a fourth voice.

“None of that is true.”

“Don’t lie,” the original guard asked and soon after, another punch. “Tell us, Captain,” he mocked. “Weren’t you supposed to be hunting her down? Wasn’t that your job?”

He said nothing, anger, defiance, and fear of where this was going gnawing at his insides.

“All this time,” he continued, “You were supposed to be leading us to find her. You probably knew where she was all along.”

“No I didn’t,” he argued and felt another punch land on his jaw. He felt blood pooling in his mouth and spat it out on the ground.

“Oh, so you couldn’t find her? All that time? You were on the Gale Force for how long?” He didn’t answer again. “You spent all that time looking for her and she never revealed herself to you?”

He tried to fight the impulse because he knew it was what they wanted, but the words brought him back into those moments, when the longing was so painful that it nearly tore him in two. He drove himself mad looking for her, hoping she’d just turn up. Wishing she’d show herself, at least just to him to let him know she was alive. At the time he guessed some wishes just weren’t meant to be granted.

The guard continued, unrelenting. “Did you ever think maybe she didn’t want you to find her? She probably wanted nothing to do with you.”

“Shut up,” he said, the words quiet but forceful.

He pushed further. “If she wanted to be with you, why didn’t she reveal herself to you?” Silence. “She doesn’t care about you. She doesn’t care about anyone.”

“That isn’t true.”

“Prove it.”

He hesitated for a moment, narrowing his eyes at the guard doing all the talking. “I don’t have to prove anything to you. I know what she feels.”

“But where is she now?”

“Hopefully far away from here.” It hurt so badly to speak and the words tasted like copper on his tongue from blood.

“Why isn’t she here? Saving you?”

“Because I never asked her to.”

“Yet you threw away your life to save her. Why isn’t she doing the same for you?”

“Because she’s smarter than I am,” he answered weakly. He could feel himself beginning to fade from the exhaustion of it all.

“No,” the guard laughed and it was so cold that it sent a shiver down his spine. “It’s because she doesn’t love you.”

Fiyero shook his head and immediately regretted it from the way it ached. “”You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“She isn’t here. She isn’t saving you.”

“I don’t care.”

“She doesn’t love you.”

“Yes she does.” He didn’t even know why he was arguing. Maybe he needed to convince himself that it was okay that she wasn’t there. Or maybe he just couldn’t help defending her now that he had the freedom to do so after having to hide it for so long.

“She doesn’t care what happens to you.”

“Yes she does.”

“Is that why she left you here to die?” This time he had nothing. No answer other than the fact that she had herself to look after. He couldn’t expect her to sacrifice herself the way he had. He kept that to himself, electing not to answer anymore. “That’s what I thought.”

The next few hours were spent in a similar fashion. He lost count of where and when and how many times they hit him. All he knew was his entire body hurt like he had never felt before. The blows kept coming as they spewed insults in an attempt to get him to talk, to defend himself, to defend her, to give her up, but the pain was all he could think about, unable to form thoughts let alone speak.

It could have been minutes or it could have been hours since the last time they did anything, but he was unresponsive both verbally and physically, hanging limp. He couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes and it was hard to hear anymore over the pounding in his head, but after a long period of silence, he assumed they left, deeming him useless to them.

He risked opening an eye and the unexpected morning sunlight was piercing, sending a fresh wave of pain shooting through his body. He tried to take a deep breath, but that unbearable sharpness returned to his side, making him wince. He tried to move his legs, but they barely moved, unable to even support him standing anymore.

Opening his eyes hurt. Breathing hurt. Moving hurt.

 _Existing_ hurt.

Yet something hurt worse than any of the physical injuries. He didn’t want to give that man the satisfaction of thinking Fiyero believed any of his words at the time. They couldn’t be true.

Only now, he wasn’t so sure.

He was alone. The Guard was long gone. Yet, there was still no sign of Elphaba anywhere.

She wasn’t coming to save him.

For a second, he allowed himself to feel foolish. He threw away his life to save her, but she wasn’t willing to do the same for him.

Maybe she didn’t love him.

He tried to will away the thought. Of course she loved him. He didn’t expect her to sacrifice herself. He couldn’t. That was his job. She had so much more to accomplish. So many more things ahead of her. He paled in comparison to everything else to everything else she wanted in life.

He let himself open his eyes again, slowly this time to give his eyes an opportunity to adjust to the light’s intrusion.

It was beautiful here. Tall grass and sunflowers surrounded him and went on as far as his eyes could see. He guessed there would be worse places to die than here. There would be worse things to die for than love.

He attempted another deep breath again and the splintering pain in his side was too much. His face scrunched up as he moaned, vision going nearly entirely black.

He felt himself beginning to drift in and out of consciousness, the pain finally becoming too much and getting the better of him.

As he began to fade, out of nowhere, the pain his side felt like it evaporated. The ache in his chest melted away. The bloody taste in his mouth was gone. The throbbing in his head disappeared. He moved his legs, finding them able to hold him up and support his weight again.

He spent a long moment confused and wondered if maybe this was what dying felt like. Except he didn’t feel dead. In fact, he felt the exact opposite, revitalized and very much alive.

The confusion laid thick in his mind for another lasting moment until his thoughts naturally drifted back to Elphaba as they always did. It was then that he realized what was happening.

She must have done this. There was no other explanation.

She _did_ save him.

Maybe her way of going about it was different from the way he went about it, but he didn’t mind. He was reckless and thoughtless and she was brilliant.

He couldn’t shake the relief. She did save him. The thought repeated itself over and over again in his mind.

She _did_ love him. He couldn’t believe he let himself doubt that.

She was far away from danger and from him, yet still managed to save him. How? He had no idea. He couldn’t bring himself to care. There was time to figure that out later, but for now, he was simply grateful to be alive.

His thoughts returned to the worried state he had become accustomed to throughout his time on the Guard. Elphaba was out there, hiding and alone.

Only this time he knew where to find her.

This time he knew she loved him.

Maybe that was enough. For now.

**Author's Note:**

> okay so was meant as a sort of filler between the end of As Long As You're Mine and No Good Deed from Fiyero's POV. In my head, Act II has the potential for so much angst for him, so I decided to run with that a little
> 
> I've never written a Wicked fic before so I really hope you liked it! Come hang at holdenduckfield.tumblr.com if you want


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